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Thursday, 15 December 2011

Bamboo biking from Africa to the UK...

A bike made of bamboo is being given a tough test ride, all the way home to the UK from Africa.

Jack Morris, a local lad from the nearby town of Witney, is on his way home in an eight-month expedition on the machine, designed by a team at Oxford Brookes University.

His trip, which started earlier this month, will take him through Africa, then on to Europe and Istanbul before heading back towards West Oxfordshire. By the time he gets home he will have covered 5,000 miles.

Writing on his blog, he said: “Take into consideration that my cycling experience maxes out at a foray into France and you might get an idea of how challenging this bike ride will be for me. I expect the tour to take eight months, cost me a small fortune and provide no shortage of sunburn. “It should be brilliant.”

Mr Morris hopes his ride will raise awareness for Abingdon’s Rotary Club of Abingdon and Solar Aid, which provides funds for solar replacements for kerosene lamps in Kenya. Dr Shpend Gerguri and Dr James Broughton who devised the bike, road-tested it on an eight-day trip through the Alps before it was put on the market by RAW Bamboo Bikes.

RAW managing director Rachel Hammond said: “This will be another great road test for the bike. We look forward to following Jack’s progress and hearing how the bike performs.” Bamboo was chosen because it has a higher tensile strength than steel and adds vibration-absorbing qualities to a bike frame.

Jack's progress can be followed at his blog here - check it out, it is well worth a read. All at SMB Bearings wish you the best of luck on your adventure!